First of all I will wish everyone a happy and healthy 2017, lets hope it turns out to be a great year. Back to more mundane matters, I caught the bus to town this morning but not before I took a picture of a cloud on this bright December morning.

Those that know me will know you will find evidence of spiders around my home, not real ones usually though, think my rooms are a bit high! I wore the winter Crocs again today, they are a great success, haven't had such warm comfy feet in quite a while!

I wasn't in town long and caught the bus home again, will maybe walk one way in future to try and build the muscles up a bit before the surgery. I hadn't been in long when Darren and Tina asked if I would like to go and have lunch with them at Sainsbury's, Tina had a voucher to get reduced petrol and we needed a little bit of shopping. Before we left they gave me a lovely flower bouquet, very naughty but nice. 

When we got home I put them into a couple of vases, they never look quite the same when disturbed and rearranged, but two lovely vases of fresh flowers now.

Haven't seen so many sunsets from the window recently, tonight's was subtle rather than dramatic.

Darren and I are planning to walk down to the beach tonight, usually quite a few people around on the north bay and a couple of bonfires. We will take a flask. So, I will talk to you  again next year!!

I got a message this morning from Anya saying there was a change of plans. There was a BBC show on the front and Louis had tried to get late tickets, including me, and if that didn't materialise then they would like to take me out somewhere. I went to shower and it has decided to break, no water in fact. I did use Darren and Tina's shower but it is very temperamental and goes from scalding to freezing at the merest touch! I walked down to meet the family at the Watermark cafe but they weren't there. The day is going swimmingly so far as their car had a flat battery and wouldn't start! We went to the Croc shop as Louis had noticed Winter Crocs and wondered if they would be good for me while I cannot wear actual shoes. I tried them on and Anya bought me a pair, wore them all day and had very warm feet and the backs are very low so didn't worry the ankle. A picture of Isobel by the BBC mobile cinema to prove that it was there!

We had breakfast and then we drove over to Pickering to go on the North Yorkshire Railway. We just missed one train so had plenty of time to get to the station and have a good look round. The family at the car park.

Isobel and I on the bridge at Pickering station.

Isobel didn't want her picture taken on the train, so here she is avoiding it!

Louis and I on the train.

And not to be left out Anya on the train.

She is wearing the new scarf she bought at the shop on the station. A slightly blurred picture from the train, the majority of the journey was through forest, great shaped trees in there winter nakedness.

We had less than an hour at Goathland so a bit of a wander and another drink break! A couple of shots from our wander around.

We liked this old fashioned sign in the ticket office.

The cafe on the station was quaint, a converted store room and coal drop.

Daisy was our train, so goodbye Daisy, hope to travel on you again some time.

A good drive back from Pickering and the family just dropped me off and left as they have the drive back to Peterborough, they should be well on their way now. A very lovely surprise outing with them at the end of their time up here.

Anya and family had plans for this morning and said they would come along mid afternoon as I had already said that I would get dinner for us all again. So I went up the road to catch the bus so that I could have a wander round in town.  The bus was running late, but there were three of us at the stop and one of the guys phoned to see where it was. I took a picture up the street as the sky was bright and the clouds moving quickly.

As you can tell, is was misty as well, so quite a good effect. I walked down Bar Street in town was going to see if the little old fashioned toy shop was open. The way the sun was shining the Christmas lights looked like they were turned on.

At the end of the street there is a blank wall opposite, but today with the mist and sun it had weird patterns on and  I couldn't quite make it out at first glance.

Looking south the south bay was really misty.

Looking the other way towards the north and there was no mist, the north bay was clear as well.

Sitting at the computer this afternoon I realised the window cleaner was working. He doesn't always do my windows and I have to give a gentle reminder!

I went out and salted the path and a bit of the pavement later as where he has spilt water it was freezing and quite dangerous. I didn't want any accidents when Anya and family came or when Darren got home from work. While I was in town I went into the shop that I had bought the large dog ornament from before Christmas, because they had a sale and I had seen an ornament I wanted before Christmas too. I know, I don't need any more stuff, but there was only one left and it was calling my name!!

I love him!! The family came a bit before three pm and we had a very tasty roast dinner at 5 pm. Anya and I had one game of 'Bananas' their new crossword type board game (no board though). They set off back to the apartment at about 7 pm and will be going home via York tomorrow so we won't see them any more this time. I have dvds to watch but not sure I feel like it, don't feel too much like doing any jigsaw either, I could write some letters.

Had a quiet morning, I did spend some time on the jigsaw and may have pieced 8 pieces, going to be a long haul if it gets done! I was listening to my new Bill Turnbull cd, a collection of relaxing classical pieces, which was very calming as I struggled on! Anya, Louis and Isobel came at about 12.30 pm and we walked up towards town, thinking we would get lunch at one of the little cafes, but they were all closed so we ended up having plates of chips in the fish and chip restaurant near the theatre! They were very good, freshly cooked chips, so not all bad. The pantomime, Cinderella, was great fun with masses of audience participation, which we all joined in with gusto!! I did take some pictures of the cast on the way out. The ugly sisters were on stage a lot and were really funny.

They were called Britney and Whitney! The prince was a male actor, not a big role compared with some but he was good too.

The lad who played the wicked stepmother was brilliant and Cinderella was lovely. Some great sets and costumes too.

Sadly I didn't get a picture of Buttons, who was the real star of the show, but all in all it was great entertainment and about two and a half hours long. This evening Darren and I joined Anya and family at the apartment where we played my new but bingo game, with some excellent reading by our 'caller' Isobel.  The we played a new game of theirs called Bananas which was good fun. Today the frost was so heavy that it looked like snow and it has not cleared all day. I walked home from their apartment a little while ago and took this picture as I neared the shops.

A very cold wind chill factor. Going to watch the new Jonathon Creek with Darren and Tina in a bit.

The world map jigsaw is proving to be a real challenge. So much blue, tiny writing I cannot read even with a magnifying glass, and the guide much smaller that the actual puzzle. I have moved it to the bedroom now and it is in more natural light, so will soldier on for a while.

This morning Tina and I went to Dunelm and Pets at Home, then on to Tesco to get some last minute things and much needed cat food. Back home I had a bonsai tree to re-pot, got that sorted and then got on with a Christmas dinner including making some fresh mince pies. Anya,, Louis and Isobel arrived about 4 pm and we had dinner at 5 pm. After that we opened presents.

One of Isobel's presents was a sewing set and I helped her start the first little toy.

We had a game family Trivial Pursuit before the family set off back to the apartment. I got some great presents but this one is particularly great. A Beatrix Potter story that she never illustrated, now published with illustrations by Quentin Blake.

How cool is that?

It looked a lovely day, Darren was catching up with some tv programs, so Tina suggested we make a flask and take a drive up to the car park beyond the south bay. We have been there before and usually have the place to ourselves, but today there were a lot of cars there. We had driven round the bays and there were hundreds of people out and about, great to see. There was a boat out at sea and we couldn't decide what it was, this gull was sitting in front of where we parked, so boat and bird, bonus!

Looking back at south bay from the car park.

We took a bit of a walk down the hill, the wind was pretty bitter as we got nearer the sea.

Back home I have been watching a dvd about Dolly Parton songs that was a Christmas present. Really interesting, telling the stories behind some of her best known songs. I went down to get on with our Christmas dinner. Charlie is a strange cat, very big, but he is intimidated by Colonel and plagued at times by Blue. Today Tina shut him in the dining room on his own, thinking he would settle on one of the chairs. Tina called me when she checked on him, he made a very attractive Christmas dinner!!

In the kitchen Tina has a Christmas cactus, it is by a cold window and regularly neglected, but it is absolutely beautiful again at the moment.

I have been trying fit some more pieces to the blue of the jigsaw, without a lot of success. I am not at the point of giving up, yet, but am getting a bit frustrated with it now.

We were all in bed late, I waited up to make a drink for Darren and Tina when they got back from the midnight mass and we all opened one gift as it was Christmas day. Tina looked at one of her birthday cards too. We were all up before 8 am as Tina was off to take a service at St Columba. I said I would walk up to St Mary's for the family service. It was windy, but dry and mild as I cut through to walk the cliff top way. 

There were three surfers in the sea but the photos aren't worth posting, also plenty of dog walkers out. I walked up in front of all the hotels.

I have always been interested by the white building in front of the castle. The cut through to the church goes by it and it is a tea room as well as a private residence.

As you get to the cut through you can see most of the north bay.

But you can also look the other way and see a bit of the south bay too.

The service was very good and I came home in the car with Tina. We opened presents and ate Christmassy stuff, I did a bit of jigsaw this afternoon, it is proving to be quite a challenge with about two hundred, maybe more, plain blue pieces!! We had an easy dinner today and will have a Christmas dinner tomorrow. I spent the evening with Darren and Tina and they let me watch Strictly and then we had Call the Midwife on. We exchanged little 'Christmas tree presents' and mine was a set of chocolate pencils that they had found in Portugal.

 Will be a shame to eat them! A fairly quiet but relaxing day.

This morning I changed the bed and pottered about a bit, even did a bit of the jigsaw. I went for a walk, only set out to feed a few squirrels in the glen. As I walked up Peasholm Drive I spotted these random berries on a seemingly dormant bush.

A little further up a view of the park from on high.

This bush isn't holly, but just has a hint of  Christmas anyway!

The glen looks lovely whatever time of the year.

One of the newer carvings in the glen.

I did manage to feed quite a few squirrels, they were busy burying the nuts as well as eating them. This one is a little cutie.

I came home and had a bit of a rest as my legs were quite sore today. Then I got dinner, and made some more mince pies and lemon curd and jam tarts as Tina does not like mincemeat. She went off to the children's carol service this afternoon, obviously suitably clad!!

She had trouble keeping the antlers as Blue was fascinated by them!!